FREE Printable Skelekitty Gift Tags

Howdy all.  Krissi here.  Every now and then I like to make special items available for free.  From a marketing standpoint, it's good publicity.  From a human standpoint, it's just good.

So I'm happy to offer to all you Rosies out there, some FREE non-denominational Skelekitty gift tags/stickers (suitable for non-holiday gift-giving, too)!  You don't even have to buy anything from me.  :)

Just click on the image you would like (yep, you can have both - nobody is keeping track).  Then, from my Flickr page, click "Download original size of this photo" to save the full sheet of tags to your computer.  Print them out, cut them and attach them to gifts (handmade, of course)!


Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Blessed Solstice, Happy Festivus and/or Positive Mid-Winter Celebratory Greetings to you all, however you acknowledge these cold and short days indoors.

Love,  Krissi and Skelekitty



Krissi Sandvik is a mixed-media artist and the owner of Krissi's Art Studio, home of Skelekitty and Friends. She was recently named "best tutorialer on the web" by her friend Rachelle Rose.

All I want for Christmas... The Warning Label Edition!

This week's installment is from a DIY designer from the Southwest that is more metal studs and leather then sand sculptures and geckos.Jamie puts a heavy metal twist on this week's handmade holidays wishlist.


Antiqued Black Bird Jewelry Stash Box from Pet Zombie Creations. I already own so many pieces of jewelry form her, now I could have an awesome place to store all of it!

Made to order Dexter pop art painting by Meganeto.

This Be Still My Heart tee by Se7enDeadly is perfect for a twisted seamstress!

Tea is awesome. Tea out of this Spiked Tea pot from Nancy Adams is EXTRAORDINARY!

These sugar skull spoons from Greenwood Creations are amazing, they have been on my wish list for a long time!!!!

And finally, to go in my kitchen, this amazing skull plate from PricklyGirl.

Jamie Diaz is a motherf*ckin' heavy metal fashion and accessory designer in Albuquerque, NM. When not making kick-ass bags and killer stage outfits for Warning Label Creations, she spends her time traveling all over the Southwest to see metal concerts with her husband Juan. You can also follow Warning Label on Facebook.

All I Want For Christmas Is Handmade, Too

UN-occupy Black Friday!!!!  The handmade community hopes that, if you purchase gifts this holiday season, you will support your fellow artists and local economies by purchasing from from small shops and handmade artisans.  From whom?  Well, Krissi's Art Studio is here to tell you what she loves.


If I had ALL the money in the world, I'd live in a palace of handmade goods.  As it is, I, like most, have to budget.  Here are a few of the items at the top of my handmade-holiday wish list!

The first thing on my OMG-I-LOVE-THIS list are these salt & pepper shakers by Sara Lynch (you can find Sara on Etsy, Facebook and Google+).

Super cute snail and hedgehog ceramic salt n pepper shakers
by Sara Lynch.  I love hedgehogs.  A LOT. 

What I REALLY wanted from Sara were her zombie pie birds.  I wanted them so much, that I didn't bother dropping hints to my hubby - I just bought two of them.  Tell her you want more.  I know a few people who want their own too!  I mean, come ON!  ZOMBIE PIE BIRDS!  I will have the coolest Thanksgiving and Christmas pies EVER.



Next, ANYTHING by Aaron Tyndall of FeralDesigns, but especially this amazing pink pearl, crystal and glass wire wrapped set.

Aaron has a wicked sense of humor, an incredible talent and an Irish Brogue
 -- and seriously, who needs more than that?

Since I started interacting with Aaron online, I wonder how I ever lived without him in my news feed!  His work is fun and creative, and his customs really keep the customer in mind - look at this piece he made for our own Brooke!

Oh, the things I want from MT Coffinz...  Let me count the ways!  First, this:

and this: 

...both from MTSpaces on Etsy, Jinx's newest shop featuring awesome household items. 

Also, these fingerless gloves are also from Jinx in her MTCoffinz shop, and they are an absolute necessity for those of us who work in chilly studios, but need our hands free.  I may be a Scrooge about turning on the heat, but I don't have to look like Bob Cratchit!  

From Brazen Cosmetics (on both ArtFire and Etsy), I would want a full pot of "Submission.

Sandi, the makeup artist behind Brazen, is AMAZING with her 'near black' colors and, while I have a sample of this one, it's not going to last much longer (hint, hint).  

Finally, I want a Baby Buttshark sculpture from Scott Krichau.  Like I REALLY REALLY want one.  

They're not listed in his shop at the moment, but if you see one come up for sale, please message me, m'kay?  I'm kinda liking a blue one.  Or green.  Or pink.  Or whatever.  I just want one.

Oh yeah.  And peace on Earth.  That would be nice too.  If the handmade community was in charge of that, we'd have it solved by now.

Whatever you believe or celebrate, I hope your winter holidays are awesome.  Lotsa love!

Krissi Sandvik is a mixed-media artist and the owner of Krissi's Art Studio, home of Skelekitty and Friends. She was recently named "best tutorialer on the web" by her friend Rachelle Rose and she publishes a tutorial or "Ask Krissi's Art Studio" feature on Fridays here at Modern Rosies.

All I Want for Christmas... Is Handmade!

Times are tough with everyone this year. With the Occupy Movement being in the national spotlight, more and more people are moving towards smaller businesses and handmade artisans to do their shopping. The holidays will be no exception. 


This year, I plan on doing a good majority of my shopping for the holidays at small shops, and from handmade artisans. A little later in the month, I will share the lists I have for the kids, but today, I am going to share a portion of MY wish list.


Patchwork Sweater Coat from Smarmy Clothing.

Zombie Green Slouch Hat from Julian Bean.

A Ruggle from Bewhiskered. (I don't care it it is a security blanket, I want it for ME!!)

The Phat Matte Stack Collection from Madd Style Cosmetix.

A Pocket Full Of Posies Tee Shirt.

Brooke is the owner and seamstress at Brooke Van Gory Designs. She lives in The Chicago suburbs with her two kiddos, and her rock star husband! You can shop BVG here, and follow her on Google+ here.

Ask Krissi's Art Studio: Funkified Tea Tins Tutorial

Union Riveter Krissi Sandvik is back with another fun and very colorful tutorial.  This one would be fun to do with older kids, and these tins make great gifts!

I'm a tea addict.  I picked the habit up in the UK and have since collected tea cups, kettles and pots.  I buy my teas loose and in bulk from a local shop, the owner of which keeps me supplied with all my favorite black teas.  A tin is great way to keep your teas fresh and tasty, while showing off your personal taste! Here's what you'll need to get started:

• tea tin or airtight container
• appropriate glue for your choice of materials
• decorative paper
• varnish of your choice
• acrylic paint (optional)
• sandpaper (optional)
• tea (duh!) or coffee or cocoa or ... you get the drift

The Tins:

I found some great tins on clearance at a local craft store
You can also re-use tea tins or other airtight canisters

Measure:

• the height of the tin from the bottom of the lid. There is a little lip on the Twinings container showing where the lid is positioned when on.  You want to make sure you don't cover above that point (it would make the tin too "fat" for the lid to fit).
• around the tin
• Alternatively, you could make a template with some newspaper, a pen and some scissors.

Mark the lid position using a fine-point permanent marker just to be sure you don't glue the paper up too far, unless your tin has an existing guide (like the Twinings tin).

The Ephemera:

Even though I don't papercraft often, I have a HUGE collection

Gather your decorative papers. You can use scrapbooking papers, Loteria tablas (as I did), junk mail, catalogs or just about anything flexible enough to glue to a tin!  Remember, use only images in the public domain or that you have permission to use.  Even if you're not selling these items, you may not use someone else's art or images.

Trim your papers to fit within the measurements you took in step 2.


The Adhesive:

Choose an adhesive that works best with your materials. For metal tins, use a solvent based gel glue like E6000 or Liquid Nails. If you have a foil-lined paper canister (like a cocoa container), you can use a tacky white glue or my new personal fave, YES! paste.

One of these days, I'm gonna hafta write me a blog post on adhesives

Spread adhesive evenly over the surface to be covered. DO NOT spread glue over the lid-line. If you are using an industrial-strength solvent glue, you will need to work quickly and in a ventilated space (you twisted little glue-sniffer).


DO IT ALREADY!

Apply your pretty papers and let your glue dry.

Repeat the process with your lid.  I chose to sand off the existing finish and paint the sides of my lid in a color that I matched to one of my papers. You could also use spray paint, tiny scraps of paper or a thin paper that would easily wrap from the top to the sides.

The Finishing Touch:

VARNISH it baby! You want to protect your work, don't ya?

There are a plethora of varnishes from which to choose, so pick your favorite whether it's gloss, satin or matte.  My personal favorite is Golden Acrylic's polymer varnish in gloss (not shown)

Wipe off any varnish that creeps up over the lid-line of the tin or under the lid. Ensure that the varnish is not just dry, but allow plenty of time for it to cure before you handle - some varnishes take days to cure in cool or humid weather.



Use:

Start rockin' the Earl Grey with your awesomely cool tin!

My tea tin, tea and my favorite mug - design by Ladi Loera

I agree to look the other way if you were inclined to use your tin of awesomeness to hold office supplies, sugar cubes, spices, doggie treats or other tiny necessities of life.


Krissi Sandvik is a mixed-media artist and the owner of Krissi's Art Studio, home of Skelekitty and Friends. She was recently named "best tutorialer on the web" by her friend Rachelle Rose and she publishes a tutorial or "Ask Krissi's Art Studio" feature on Fridays here at Modern Rosies.